Places of worship are being affected by ongoing COVID-19 concerns as churches in Cranbrook are scaling back services or cancelling them outright.
Connect Church has cancelled services for the next few weeks, but have set up 15 smaller groups to meet in living rooms or at the church campus for pre-filmed teachings from church leadership.
Frank Hackett, a pastor with Connect Church, says the church is also working with city partners and encouraging people to donate extra supplies for people in need since grocery stores are running low on certain items.
St. Aidan Orthodox Church has closed the church until further notice and cancelled services after initially scaling back additional ceremonies during the Lenten season.
First Baptist Church has also cancelled services for March 22 and March 29 after taking some initial precautions to protect seniors and those who work in critical infrastructure such as the health care system.
Children’s areas and high contact areas will be wiped down and cleaned after service.
Christ Church Anglican has cancelled all services and worship activities until further notice. The church as also cancelled it’s annual Cross Walk — an event that marks Good Friday by carrying a wooden cross from station to station accompanied with scripture reading and prayers for the city.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson, which includes Cranbrook, has posted an update from the Office of the Bishop. All parishes in the diocese are to be closed for two weeks effective immediately and all functions are cancelled, except for funerals, which will be limited to family members.
The Cranbrook United Church council made the decision to close the church from Wednesday, March 18, to April 1, at which time the situation will be reassessed. The Cellar will close and there will be no meetings, group gatherings or events during this time, according to a Facebook post.
Check in with local churches ahead of Sundays to find out if a service is happening or not.
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